


When a Queen Cries

by miss_tatiana



Category: X-Men - All Media Types
Genre: Established Relationship, F/F, Marriage Proposal, emma and jean co-lead the school, they have a lot on their hands
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-19
Updated: 2017-07-19
Packaged: 2018-12-04 04:53:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 905
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11547882
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/miss_tatiana/pseuds/miss_tatiana
Summary: Not much can make Emma cry. But a stressful day, high nerves, and just one question seems to do the trick.





	When a Queen Cries

**Author's Note:**

> this ship,,,,,, kills me

Emma was sitting at her desk, kitty corner across the room from Jean's. The Headmaster's room, which they’d inherited one after the other as the school was juggled between their possessions. Finally, of course, although the school was still under Charles’ name, and although some students chose to only obey Jean and some Emma, the women had been able to come to an agreement and co-lead the school. That had been a huge relief on Jean’s part - Emma remembered Jean actually losing sleep over it, desperately trying to resolve it - but Emma had been sort of neutral either way. She would have wanted to lead on her own, of course, but she didn’t want to risk her composure over fighting for it. 

Now was different, though. Emma was glad there was someone to split the work with. There was a lot of management to do with running a school, and she wouldn’t have wanted to handle it on her own. Also, Jean was much more of a people person, so when students were having nightmares, or any of those other cliche mutant trademarks that caused the kids to cry, she could just send them to Jean. And if kids needed discipline- well, Emma knew more than a little about being strict. 

Not to mention that working with Jean had become much easier after they started going out, two years ago. After that, the school seemed oddly peaceful, the normal action on action lifestyle going into a lull, and Emma started finding more reasons to smile and less to scowl. She started thinking that the kids were actually endearing, and that the less than fashionable clothes Jean wore were even more endearing. Most importantly, she started finding things she loved about everything around her. Of course, she loved her girlfriend the most, more than anything.

She’d been getting up the courage - ridiculous, she knew. Her. Needing to get up courage - to talk to Jean about something that had been in the back of her mind for months. She was nervous. Jittery, even, and she never got jittery. Her stomach felt light and strange, like it did when she drank too much caffeine, and her chest was clenched. She cleared her throat. She shouldn’t be nervous. The White Queen shouldn’t be nervous. She was better than that. “Darling, what are you doing tonight?” She hoped she sounded casual, but her voice was high and thin, strung tight.  

Jean looked up from the paper she’d been grading for the health class she taught. “Ororo and Kurt are getting back from the Alaska trip, I thought I’d pick them up at the airport. Why?”

So Jean was occupied. With something important, too, not something she could cast aside. Emma let out the breath she had been holding onto and pushed her hair back with a flick of her wrist, intent on maintaining her cool demeanor. “Nothing, really. I was wondering if-”

The door to the office creaked open. There was a no locked doors policy that Emma now regretted deeply. 

Jean stood up. “Hello, Xi’an. What can I help you with?”

Xi’an, a student in her preteens, walked over to Jean’s desk. “Sorry to bother you,” she began, chewing on her lip. “The grounds are on fire.”

“What?” Jean exclaimed, turning around and peering out the window behind her desk. “What- who started it?”

Xi’an shrugged. “Someone who copied my bio homework last week so I’m telling on him for playing dodgeball with fire.”

Jean shook her head. “Roberto.”

“Yeah, but don’t tell him I told,” Xi’an confirmed. 

“Thanks for letting me know, sweetie,” Jean said, giving Xi’an a thumbs up. “Could you lead me to where they’re playing?”

Xi’an nodded. “Come on.” She headed out of the room. 

Before Jean could follower her out, Emma grabbed her arm. 

“Wait,” Emma said quickly. She knew there would be no other time to do this. It would take the rest of the day to put out the fire and reprimand who had started it, and then Jean would be off to the airport, and she definitely couldn’t wait until tomorrow. Her nerves couldn’t take it. “Jean, will you marry me?”

Jean’s eyebrows went up in confusion, and her mouth opened slightly. Tears started welling in her eyes, and she stood stock still in the office even after Emma let go of her arm. Her hand went up to her chest, staying there briefly and coming to rest over her mouth.

Emma didn’t know what Jean was thinking, and she refused to use her telepathy on something as vital as this. Her heart stopped beating as she waiting for Jean to say something. 

Jean seemed to break out of her frozen state and she flung her arms around Emma’s neck, tears falling freely down her cheeks and into Emma’s hair. “Of course, she whispered, her voice watery and full of emotion. She took a few steps back and a shuddering breath, wiping her eyes. “Love, I need to go put out a fire.” 

Emma nodded and watched Jean disappear through the doorway. She went back to her desk at sat down, and then she started to cry. It wasn’t the most beautiful, well constructed proposal. It wasn’t at the best time, or in the best place. But she couldn’t picture a more perfect way to say those words, nor could she picture a more perfect thing to do with her future.


End file.
